A High School with Intensive Education: Moral Atmosphere and Moral Reasoning

Abstract The importance of the role of the school's social environment in stimulating the development of moral reasoning is stressed. Previous researchers have found that not only is the time structure in a school a controlling variable but also that ?intensive education? has more potential than traditional concurrent education for stimulating cognitive growth. This research examined the moral atmosphere in a high school with intensive education and the effect of this environment upon the development of moral reasoning in its students as a function of the number of years of exposure to this environment. The results from this cross?sectional study indicated the students perceived a sense of fairness and of community in their school. Examination of the levels of moral reasoning on both Kohlberg's Moral Judgement Interview and Rest's Defining Issues Test indicated that it was dependent upon the number of years the student had been exposed to this school's environment but not upon the student's grade level. The results may be of interest to those who are developing environments which attempt to stimulate the development of moral reasoning